Technical Wetsuit

ABSTRACT

A wetsuit comprising first panels exhibiting a high-stretch and adapted to provide buoyancy to the wearer and second panels exhibiting a low-stretch and adapted to provide further buoyancy to the wearer wherein the first and the second panels are fastened together by seams and wherein the second panels are arranged according to the muscular configuration of the wearer to stimulate the muscular relaxation velocity of the wearer.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The instant invention relates to wetsuits and technical wetsuits for use in water sports such as surfing, sailboarding, sailboard riding, water skiing, diving, swimming or other similar activities. In particular, the instant invention is related to an improved technical wetsuit stimulating the wearer's muscles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Wet suits are tight fitting water-permeable suits worn by surfers, board sailors, swimmers, divers and the like in order to retain body heat and provide buoyancy while their wearer's are immersed in cold water.

To provide buoyancy, modern wetsuits are usually formed in flexible rubber foam like “neoprene” foam. Rubber foams are made of non-fibrous rubber enclosing gas bubbles that reduce the density of the wetsuit and helps swimmers to stay afloat. These bubbles also reduce the ability of the wetsuit to conduct heat, thereby helping the wearer's body to stay warm.

Thermal insulation is further achieved through a snug fit of the wetsuit on the wearer that keeps a thin layer of water between the fabric of the wetsuit and the skin of the body. It is therefore advantageous that no additional water enters the wetsuit once the initial layer has been established and has been warmed by the body.

Developments in wetsuits in recent times have been made principally in the view of increasing the comfort level of wetsuits, thus coping with the negative aspects of being immersed in water, that are cold and buoyancy issues. One such development is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,229 to Machado et al. which describes an improved wetsuit providing a zipperless system for permitting entry of the wearer into the wetsuit while reducing the entry of water into the wetsuit when immersed in the water.

While the present applicant recognises that the comfort of wetsuits can provide an increase in performance by reducing the energy spent to keep the wearer's body warm, it is believed that much more can still be done to directly improve performance of wetsuits' wearer when they practice water sports at a high level, in competitions or as a skilled amateur.

The present invention has thus been developed with a greater emphasis on performance rather than comfort and a wetsuit according to the invention should be considered to be a technical wetsuit which aims at improving the performance of a wearer doing water sports such as surfing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is provided a wetsuit comprising:

at least one first panel exhibiting high-stretch and adapted to provide buoyancy to the wearer;

at least one second panel exhibiting low-stretch and adapted to provide further buoyancy to the wearer;

wherein the at least one first panel and the at least one second panel are fastened together by at least one seam;

and wherein the at least one second panel is arranged according to the muscular configuration of the wearer to stimulate muscular relaxation velocity of the wearer.

With these features, the wet suit will be designed to help the wearer perform the gestures which are common to the sport to which the wet suit is designed.

In some embodiments, one might also use one or more of the following features:

-   -   the at least one second panel are located along specific muscles         of the wearer in order to increase the relaxation velocity of         said specific muscles,     -   a movement of the wearer defines an action direction for a         second panel and wherein said second panel apply a load to the         wearer in the opposite direction to the action direction,     -   the wetsuit further comprises grip members provided on the         inside of the panels and at both ends of specific muscles, said         grip members being of a material that tends to grip the skin of         the wearer,     -   at least one second panel is located along back muscles of the         wearer chosen in a list comprising latissimus dorsi muscles and         trapezius muscles,     -   at least one second panel is located along muscles of the wearer         chosen in a list comprising gluteal muscles and quadriceps,     -   the free extremities of the second panels are located at the         openings of the wetsuit,     -   first panels and second panels are juxtaposed together to form         the wetsuit, the lateral faces of first panels facing lateral         faces of second panels,     -   second panels are of variable stiffness to vary the stimulation         the muscular relaxation,     -   second panels form one-dimensional strips having a length being         at least 5 times greater than their width.     -   first panels are made of a material having a layer of foamed         rubber material exhibiting a high stretch,     -   second panels are made of a material having a layer of foamed         rubber material exhibiting a low stretch,     -   at least one seam belongs to a list comprising flatlock         stitching, overlocking, glued and blind stitched seam and heat         tape sealing,     -   at least first panel is coated with woven textiles on the inside         of the wetsuit.

It is another aspect of the invention to provide a method of manufacturing a wetsuit comprising:

Determining the muscular configuration of a wearer,

Designing at least one second panel arranged according to the muscular configuration of the wearer to stimulate muscular relaxation velocity of the wearer,

Providing at least one first panel exhibiting high-stretch and adapted to provide buoyancy to the wearer;

Providing at least one second panel exhibiting low-stretch and adapted to provide further buoyancy to the wearer;

Fastening the at least one first panel and at least one second panel together by at least one seam.

To gain an improved understanding of the advantages and features of the present invention, however, reference may be made to the following descriptive matter and accompanying drawings that describe and illustrate various embodiments and concepts related to the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will readily appear from the following description of one of its embodiments, provided as non-limitative examples, and of the accompanying drawings.

On the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of an individual wearing a wetsuit according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of a wetsuit according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a back elevational view of a wetsuit according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a left elevational view of a wetsuit according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a back elevational view of a wetsuit showing action and relaxation directions according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are cross-sectional views of a region of a wetsuit according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a back elevational view of a wetsuit according to an embodiment of the invention, said wetsuit being turned inside out to show the inside surface.

On the different Figures, the same reference signs designate like or similar elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to FIG. 1, a wetsuit 10 is depicted as being worn by a wearer 100. The wetsuit 10 closely conforms to the shape of the body of the wearer 100. As a result, in the following description, the different parts of wetsuit 10 will often be indicated by the anatomical parts of the wearer 100 that they are adjacent to. Thus, the “elbow” or “elbow section” of the wetsuit 10 will be the portion of the wetsuit 10 that would be adjacent to the elbow of a wearer if the wetsuit 10 was being worn.

In a similar fashion, terms like “front”, “back”, “top”, “bottom” and the like should be understood as referring to the wearer body 100 and being extended to the wetsuit 10 as if it was being worn.

Furthermore, the terms “outside” and “inside” should be seen as referring to the surfaces of the wetsuit 10 that are in contact respectively with the external environment and the body of the wearer 100 when the wetsuit 10 is being worn as it is intended.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the wetsuit 10 comprises a pair of lower leg regions 11, a pair of upper leg regions 12, a pelvic region 13, a torso region 14, a pair of upper arm regions 15 and a pair of forearm regions 16. These regions are not intended to demarcate precise regions of the wetsuit 10 but rather to provide a reference frame for the following specifications. Various views are provided in FIGS. 2 to 4 illustrating front, back and left views of the wetsuit 10 in the absence of the wearer 100.

The wetsuit 10 comprises five openings: two feet openings 11 a allowing the feet 110 of the wearer to extend outside of the wetsuit 10, two hand openings 16 a through which the hands 120 of the wearer extend, and a neck opening 14 a to allow the wearer 100 to enter and exit from the wetsuit 10 and to further allow the head 130 of the wearer 100 to extend outside the wetsuit 10 when it is worn. The neck opening 14 a can comprise a waterproof zipper 14 b, shown on FIG. 8, or more elaborated features in order to improve the ease of entry while reducing the penetration of water through the opening between the wetsuit and the wearer. An example of such a neck opening 14 a is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,898,934 to Hunter.

To further vacuum water that might have penetrated inside the wetsuit 10, small perforated panels 80 can be provided in proximity of the feet and hands openings 11 a, 16 a.

Referring first to FIGS. 2 and 3, front and back illustrations of a wetsuit 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention are shown.

A plurality of first panels 20 forms the majority of the wetsuit 1 and includes two lower leg panels 21, two upper leg panels 22, a front torso panel 23, two upper torso panels 24, two shoulder panels 25 and two forearm panels 26. The plurality of panels 20 further includes, on the back of the wetsuit 10, five lower back torso panels 27, a spinal panel 28 and two upper back torso panels 29.

Panels 20 preferably comprise rubber foam in order to provide the desired buoyancy and stretch to the wetsuit 10. Such rubber foam can be for instance made from a neoprene foam or any type of non-fibrous elastomeric material that can provide buoyancy to the wearer, for instance by trapping gas, in the form of gas bubbles. A material with a density less than 50 Lbs/ft3 can be for instance used by the skilled man. Advantageously, said material can present a high tensile stretch in order to fit tightly about the body of the wearer.

Panels 20 are 2D panels, in that both dimensions of the panels transverse to the thickness direction are of the same scale order. The level of high tensile elasticity is similar in all directions of the panel. The material can also be selected to prevent the circulation of water between the suit and the body.

The thickness of panels 20 can vary depending on the desired characteristics and comfort required by the wearer. A light weight wetsuit to be used in warm water can be made with panels 20 having a thickness ranging between 0.5 and 2 millimetres, a medium weight wetsuit would have panels with a thickness between 2 and 3 millimetres and a cold water wetsuit can have panels of a thickness up to 5 millimetres.

The thicker the wetsuit is, the more buoyancy it provides. However, a thicker wetsuit usually restricts free movements of the wearer and bends have sometimes to be provided at the elbows and knees to increase the flexibility of the wetsuit.

The wetsuit 10 also comprises a plurality of second panels 30 that can for instance consists in a plurality of strips 30 of short transverse dimensions forming a network of one-dimensional strips. Compared to the 2D panels, the 1D strips are characterized by a length being at least 5 times greater than the width. Both dimensions are still greater than the thickness. This network extends from the feet opening 11 a up to the hands openings 16 a and the neck opening 14 a.

The plurality of strips 30 includes lower leg strips 31, upper leg strips 32, waist strips 33, back spinal strips 34, upper back strips 35, front torso strips 36, front arm strips 37 and forearm strips 38. The geometry of the strips network will be further detailed below.

In a preferred embodiment, the strips 30 are joined together in such a way that all free extremities of the network of strip 30 are located at the feet, hand and neck openings, 11 a, 14 a, 16 a. To this aim, some strips 30 can be joined together in a star pattern with said strips 30 extending from a single point. With this embodiment, the durability of the wetsuit 10 and the transmission of the loads, detailed below, are improved.

Strips 30 are made of rubber foam that can be for instance neoprene foam or any type of non-fibrous elastomeric material.

While they have similar properties to the panels 20 in terms of buoyancy and thermal insulation, they possess different stretching properties. In particular they are made of materials having a lower stretch than the panel (at least twice lower). This material can be rubber foam that is less elastic than the rubber foam used for the panels (for example at least twice less elastic), for example a limestone-based polychloroprene.

The degree of stretch of rubber foam can be determined by using methods known to the skilled men.

The difference in stretch properties makes the stretching of the strips more difficult for the user.

Strips 30 are located over specific muscles and in specific direction of the wearer (also named “power lines”) that are used in water sports and which will be detailed further in the following.

Back spinal strips 34 and upper back strips 35 are located above specific upper back muscles for instance latissimus dorsi muscles 114 a or trapezius muscles 114 b that are roughly indicated on FIG. 5. These muscles 114 a, 114 b are heavily involved when the wearer 100 is swimming the freestyle stroke, the front crawl, pushes up to stand on the board or is performing surfing movements.

With reference to FIG. 5, when the wearer 100 extends his arm 116, for instance when he is crawling, specific upper back muscles extends along a direction A1, hereafter referred to as an action direction A1 which is a direction of a power line of the body.

Strips 34 and 35 are oriented approximately along said action direction A1 and will thus elongate with the extension of the arm 116. Since they have a low-stretch, they apply a reactive load to the wearer 100 in the opposite direction R1 to the action direction A1.

When the wearer's arm 116 comes back along his body, said upper back muscles relax. During said relaxation, the load applied by the strips 34, 35 is in the same direction R1 than the relaxation direction R1 and thus helps said muscles to relax. This increases the velocity of muscles relaxation thereby increasing the performance of the wearer.

Referring again to the back of the wetsuit shown on FIG. 5, upper leg strips 32 and waist strips 33 are located around the waist and the thighs of the wetsuit.

The hip and waist of the wearer 100 comprises the gluteal muscles 113 a and quadriceps 113 b that are roughly indicated on FIG. 5. These muscles 113 a, 113 b are for instance involved when the wearer 100 is standing on a surfboard and are essential to complete surfing manoeuvres. In a proper position, the wearer 100 have the hips/pelvis opened and the leg slightly bent.

The action and relaxation directions A2, R2, A3, R3 of the wearer 100 during such movement are sketched on FIG. 5. Again, upper leg strips 32 and waist strips 33 are oriented approximately along said action directions A2, A3, in order to apply a reactive load to the wearer 100 along the relaxation directions R2, R3 and to increase the velocity of relaxation of hip and waist muscles.

The above description gives examples of muscles and power lines involved, every strip 30 is specifically designed to stimulate the velocity of a group of muscles and the suit is thus designed to implicate almost all muscle groups in the body. Lower leg strips 31, front torso strips 36, front arm strips 37 and forearm strips 38 have a similar effect during surfing movements, each being related to a specific muscle or muscle groups. Lower leg strips 31 and forearm strips 38 are also used to transmit the load to the extremities of the wearer 100, giving more feedback of the wetsuit 10. Lower leg strips 31 and forearm strips 38 further strengthen the mechanical resistance of the wetsuit 100 under heavy duty.

The reactive load applied by the strips 30 is designed to mimic the naturally occurring stretch reflexes within the body of the wearer 100. By adding the strips 30 to the already established reflexes, the wetsuit 10 amplify the body response of action and reaction. This allows the wearer 100 to move smoothly through all actions which are required by the sport but in a highly energized way.

The wearer 100 awareness of its body is both complemented and enhanced by the suit as the wetsuit 10 is designed to exaggerate the body response for action. The quicker the body acts in a sporting sense the quicker the wetsuit 10 will react to that change in position.

The placement and the shape of the strips or second panels 30 can be adapted to movements and muscles evolved in water sports other than surfing, like swimming, sailboarding, sailboard riding, water skiing or diving.

A wetsuit 10 according to the invention is particularly suitable for customization so that the directions and positions of the simulating panels 30 can be selected based on individual requirements. A customer could for example, be measured or assessed prior to the creation of the wetsuit 10 to assess what stimulation characteristics the wetsuit 10 should have. The strips or second panels 30 can thus be adapted and have any suitable shape, for instance a rectangular shape, square or oval. They might also be of irregular shapes. The second panels 30 can also have any suitable length and follow any suitable path in order to be adapted to the sport and/or the wearer 100.

The integration of the first panels 20 and the strips or second panels 30 will now be described in further details with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 detailing cross sections of the wetsuit 10 of FIGS. 2 to 5.

FIG. 6 shows a cross section of a wetsuit 10 showing junctions 40 between two panels 20 and a strip 30. Both panels 20 are juxtaposed on both sides the strip 30.

The panels 20 have an inner face 20 a, and an opposed outer face 20 b. On each side, they have a lateral face 20 c extending across the thickness from the inner face 20 a to the outer face 20 b. The strips 30 have an inner face 30 a, and an opposed outer face 30 b. On each side, they have a lateral face 30 c extending across the thickness from the inner face 30 a to the outer face 30 b.

A panel 20 is juxtaposed to a neighbour strip 30 by placing the lateral face 20 c of the panel facing a lateral face 30 c of the neighbour strip. This is reproduced for all panels and strips.

A junction 40 between the panels 20 and the strip 30 comprises several members in order to be strong and reliable when panels and strips stretch and to prevent the entry of water during the usage.

First, a strip of waterproof glue 41 is introduced between a panel 20 and the strip 30. Following that, the panel 20 and the strip 30 are stitched together with a seam 42 in order to be fastened in a reliable manner. Advantageously, the stitch 42 does not penetrate through to the inner side of the panel 20 and the strip 30; it only passes half way through the panel 20 and the strip 30 from the outside. Eventually, a rubber layer 43 is added on top of the junction 40, commonly known as a fluid seam or a liquid seam. By using a durable fluid rubber 43 along the seams 42 of the wetsuit, this creates another waterproof barrier. The result is a durable waterproof junction 40 that keeps the wearer 100 warmer because it is a sealed seam.

In a preferred embodiment, the thickness of the panels 20 and strips 30 is identical to provide a good cooperation between lateral faces of strips 30 c and panels 20 c. This arrangement ensures a reliable and waterproof junction 40 and eases the fabrication process.

In another embodiment, the strips 30 can be placed on the inside or on the outside of the panels 20. The wetsuit could thus be fabricated using fewer panels which reduces the cost of fabrication.

As it can be seen on FIG. 6, the panels 20 can be coated with two layers of 50, 51, respectively on the outside and the inside of the wetsuit 10 that can reinforce the rubber foam 52. On the inside, layer 51 can be a textile layer made of jersey, nylon, spandex or any other material comfortable to wear for the wearer 100. On the outside, layer 50 can also be a layer of nylon, spandex or the like and is usually chosen to improve the resistance of the panels 20 and the hydrodynamic properties of the wetsuit 10.

The strips 30 can also be coated on the inside with a layer 60 made of textile that can be a jersey, nylon, spandex or any other material comfortable to wear for the wearer 100. On the outside, the rubber foam 61 can be visible.

With the aim of reducing even more the stretch of the strips 30, a pattern can be embossed on the outside surface 62 of the strips 30, for instance a diamond pattern. To produce the pattern, rubber foam 61 constituting the strips 30 is pressed while being heated up to the melting point of the rubber. The pattern is thus made of thinner melted rubber which has a lower stretch and therefore increases the above detailed stimulation properties.

Advantageously, the strip 30 are located above the muscles 113 a, 113 b, 114 a, 114 b of the wearer 100 to make the stimulation of the muscles 113 a, 113 b, 114 a, 114 b detailed above more efficient. When wearer 100 moves, however, the wetsuit 10 can slide on his skin and the strips 30 can be shifted from their optimal positions.

FIG. 7 illustrates another cross-section of the wetsuit, identical to the cross-section of FIG. 6 but with the inside of the wetsuit oriented toward the top. In a preferred embodiment, illustrated on this FIG. 7, the strip 30 further comprises four grip members 70 on the inside layer 61. Grip members 70 are advantageously located close to the attachment points to the skeleton of the specific muscles or muscle groups 113 a, 113 b, 114 a, 114 b detailed above and can thus be provided for example at both ends of a given muscle or group of muscles. These attachment points correspond to key power load areas that receive and transmit load between the strips 30 and the wearer 100.

Grip members 70 are advantageously made of an adhesive or a tacky material able to grip on the human skin. This material can be a thermoplastic elastomer or a polymer material like rubber, silicon and the like. The members 70 can be applied by adhesive, stitching/sewing, heat fusion or any other suitable attachment mechanism.

Alternatively, grip members 70 can be applied by printing, such as a rubberized or a plasticized polyurethane ink that printed onto the inside of the wetsuit. Other print products can be employed such as silicon print.

In a variant, the rubber foam 61 constituting the strip 30 might be directly in contact with the wearer 100 skin and be able to grip said skin. The inside surface of the rubber foam 61 can be treated, melted or patterned in order to increase the gripping properties.

In another variant, grips members 70 can be located at the junction 40 between the panels 20 and strips 30 and can participate in the junctions 40.

FIG. 8 shows a back view of the wetsuit 10 when the wetsuit 10 is turned inside out, thus revealing the inside of the wetsuit 10 according to an embodiment of the invention. The inside layers of panels and strips 51, 60 can be seen together with several grip members 70 located in the vicinity of the attachment points to the skeleton, of ends, of specific muscles 113 a, 113 b, 114 a, 114 b as stated above.

It will appreciated that first panels 20, second panels 30 and their arrangement which are shown on FIGS. 1 to 8 are examples only of the type of panels, strips and arrangements that can be employed. As indicated above, wetsuits according to the invention can be customized to be adapted to specific water sports or to provide personalized characteristics.

It may be that customization is provided for single individuals, or groups of individuals, say of the same height or weight. In addition, it might be that in a sport, certain levels of sportsman could benefit from a particular arrangement of stimulating panels.

To act on muscles which are not mainly linear, second panels or strips 30 could be provided by extended 2D panels of the same material.

The invention described herein is thus susceptible of variation, modifications and/or additions other than those specifically described and it is to be understood that the invention includes all such variations, modifications and/or additions which fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

According to another invention, it is contemplated that the specific manufacture of juxtaposing high stretch panels and low stretch panels stimulating the muscular relaxation velocity of the wearer could be of use for fit-garments other than wet suits. Such fit-garment could be made out of any suitable material and while the material can be inelastic and tight fitting, elastic material are preferred. Suitable elastic materials for the first panels include those known as LYCRA® or “spandex” while suitable materials for the second panels can be neoprene, rubber, polyurethane or silicon, or any other suitable material. 

1. A wetsuit comprising: at least one first panel exhibiting high-stretch and adapted to provide buoyancy to the wearer; at least one second panel exhibiting low-stretch and adapted to provide further buoyancy to the wearer; wherein the at least one first panel and the at least one second panel are fastened together by at least one seam; and wherein the at least one second panel is arranged according to the muscular configuration of the wearer to stimulate muscular relaxation velocity of the wearer.
 2. The wetsuit according to claim 1, wherein the at least one second panel being located along specific muscles of the wearer in order to increase the relaxation velocity of said specific muscles.
 3. The wetsuit according to claim 1, wherein a movement of the wearer defines an action direction for a second panel and wherein said second panel apply a load to the wearer in the opposite direction to the action direction.
 4. The wetsuit according to claim 1, wherein the wetsuit further comprises grip members provided on the inside of the panels and at both ends of specific muscles, said grip members being of a material that tends to grip the skin of the wearer.
 5. A The wetsuit according to claim 1, wherein at least one second panel being located along back muscles of the wearer chosen in a list comprising latissimus dorsi muscles and trapezius muscles.
 6. The wetsuit according to claim 1, wherein at least one second panel being located along muscles of the wearer chosen in a list comprising gluteal muscles and quadriceps.
 7. The wetsuit according to claim 1, wherein the free extremities of the second panels are located at the openings of the wetsuit.
 8. The wetsuit according to claim 1, wherein first panels and second panels are juxtaposed together to form the wetsuit, lateral faces of first panels facing lateral faces of second panels.
 9. The wetsuit according to claim 1, wherein second panels being of variable stiffness to vary the stimulation the muscular relaxation.
 10. The wetsuit according to claim 1, wherein second panels form one-dimensional strips having a length being at least 5 times greater than their width.
 11. The wetsuit according to claim 1, wherein first panels are made of a material having a layer of foamed rubber material exhibiting a high stretch.
 12. The wetsuit according to claim 1, wherein second panels are made of a material having a layer of foamed rubber material exhibiting a low stretch.
 13. The wetsuit according to claim 1, wherein at least one seam belongs to a list comprising flatlock stitching, overlocking, glued and blind stitched seam and heat tape sealing.
 14. The wetsuit according to claim 1, wherein at least one first panel is coated with woven textiles on the inside of the wetsuit.
 15. A method of manufacturing a wetsuit comprising: determining the muscular configuration of a wearer, designing at least one second panel arranged according to the muscular configuration of the wearer to stimulate muscular relaxation velocity of the wearer, providing at least one first panel exhibiting high-stretch and adapted to provide buoyancy to the wearer, providing at least one second panel exhibiting low-stretch and adapted to provide further buoyancy to the wearer, fastening the at least one first panel and at least one second panel together by at least one seam. 